Tiny Brains may be a sleeper hit for the PlayStation 4

“We felt like there were no games we could enjoy with our grilfriends,” said Simon Darveau, Co-founder of Spearhead Games. “Most co-op games are not meaningfully co-op. You’re not really co-operating that much. You’re not speaking with each other.” He explained that most of the time casual co-op games are spent fighting enemies.

It’s a problem that required a solution and the result was Tiny Brains, a physics-based puzzle game. As the name implies, the indie title focuses on four lab rodents who have been experimented on so much that they develop otherworldly powers. One can push an object; another can pull it. A third can switch places with an object, effectively teleporting, while the last can create a block that can be used as a platform or a shield.

CHOOSE YOUR RODENT: In this four-player co-op game, players take control of one of these rodents, and they must traverse a series of handcrafted experiments set up by the mad scientist who created the superpowered animals. Players must talk to each and use their collective brain power to get through the puzzles. There’s a lot of experimenting involved as they try out different theories and figure out the solution for each level.

Some may require the teleporter to jump on a conjured block so that the third player can push them across a gap. The teleporter can then switch places with a battery so that a switch can be activated. In another room, the foursome may face an army of mutant chicks and they must protect the normal one. Players will have to find a way to kill the creatures via burners around the room.

One of the funner challenges is an endless room where players have to move a ball up a pipe. Players have to give each other a hand, even sacrificing themselves for the team to keep the sphere from falling through the gaps that twist their way around. High scores — the distance the ball traveled — are registered with each play through.

IT FEELS LIKE PORTAL IN PLACES: Even with strangers at the show, the multiplayer is a blast, and at times, Tiny Brains almost has a Portal-type vibeas players make their way through one room after another with commentary by the mad scientist.

“We felt like this is game we want to play with friends,” Darveau said, and the best part is that it is accessible to a range of gamers. He said the project has gotten positive feedback from players of all ages, genders and skill levels. This could be a title that you play with friends at a party or break out during a casual get-together with family.

YOU CAN STILL PLAY SOLO: For those who play with fewer than four people, the game scales down so that the puzzles are solvable with fewer co-op partners. A player can even go through the game solo, but where’s the fun in that?

At E3 2013, local play was available, but Spearhead Games said they’ll probably add an online multiplayer component via a patch. The PlayStation Network title may also have future expansions available if it’s a hit. Darveau mentioned that the team could do themed levels based on Halloween or Christmas.

Expect Tiny Brains to head to the PlayStation 4 later this year.Images courtesy of Spearhead Games